1 T herefore let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith to God,

Wherefore, having left the word of the beginning of the Christ, unto the perfection we may advance, not again a foundation laying of reformation from dead works, and of faith on God,

2 W ith teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment.

of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on also of hands, of rising again also of the dead, and of judgment age-during,

3 I f indeed God permits, we will proceed.

and this we will do, if God may permit,

4 F or it is impossible those who have been once for all enlightened, who have consciously tasted the heavenly gift and have become sharers of the Holy Spirit,

for impossible for those once enlightened, having tasted also of the heavenly gift, and partakers having became of the Holy Spirit,

5 A nd have felt how good the Word of God is and the mighty powers of the age and world to come,

and did taste the good saying of God, the powers also of the coming age,

6 I f they then deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance— to bring them back to repentance, for (because, while, as long as) they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh and are holding up to contempt and shame and public disgrace.

and having fallen away, again to renew to reformation, having crucified again to themselves the Son of God, and exposed to public shame.

7 F or the soil which has drunk the rain that repeatedly falls upon it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose benefit it is cultivated partakes of a blessing from God.

For earth, that is drinking in the rain many times coming upon it, and is bringing forth herbs fit for those because of whom also it is dressed, doth partake of blessing from God,

8 B ut if persistently bears thorns and thistles, it is considered worthless and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

and that which is bearing thorns and briers disapproved of, and nigh to cursing, whose end for burning;

9 E ven though we speak this way, yet in your case, beloved, we are now firmly convinced of better things that are near to salvation and accompany it.

and we are persuaded, concerning you, beloved, the things that are better, and accompanying salvation, though even thus we speak,

10 F or God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do.

for God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labour of the love, that ye shewed to His name, having ministered to the saints and ministering;

11 B ut we do '> strongly and earnestly] desire for each of you to show the same diligence and sincerity in realizing and enjoying the full assurance and development of hope until the end,

and we desire each one of you the same diligence to shew, unto the full assurance of the hope unto the end,

12 I n order that you may not grow disinterested and become sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith ( by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are inheriting the promises.

that ye may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.

13 F or when God made promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear,

For to Abraham God, having made promise, seeing He was able to swear by no greater, did swear by Himself,

14 S aying, Blessing I certainly will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you.

saying, `Blessing indeed I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee;'

15 A nd so it was that he, having waited long and endured patiently, realized and obtained what God had promised him.

and so, having patiently endured, he did obtain the promise;

16 M en indeed swear by a greater, and with them in all disputes the oath taken for confirmation is final.

for men indeed do swear by the greater, and an end of all controversy to them for confirmation the oath,

17 A ccordingly God also, in His desire to show more convincingly and beyond doubt to those who were to inherit the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose and plan, intervened (mediated) with an oath.

in which God, more abundantly willing to shew to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, did interpose by an oath,

18 T his was so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before.

that through two immutable things, in which impossible for God to lie, a strong comfort we may have who did flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before,

19 w e have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul '> break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and enters into within the veil,

which we have, as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and entering into that within the vail,

20 W here Jesus has entered in for us, a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek.

whither a forerunner for us did enter -- Jesus, after the order of Melchisedek chief priest having become -- to the age.